[no title] 1990

Curator: What a thorny subject. It's an untitled etching by Christopher Le Brun from the Tate's collection, measuring just 177 by 128 millimeters. Editor: My immediate sense is of a wild, untamed growth, maybe even a bit menacing, like something out of a fairy tale forest, but slightly decayed. Curator: It's interesting that you say that. Le Brun's work often explores themes of mythology and romanticism, but with this kind of rough line work, there's an undeniable sense of struggle. Perhaps he's using the thorn as a symbol of beauty intertwined with pain. Editor: I see how the thorns can be interpreted that way. The spiky shapes also echo medieval heraldry. Curator: I find that the ambiguity is what holds my attention. It’s a balance between something quite literal and something deeply symbolic. Editor: Yes, there's a raw honesty here. Curator: Absolutely, the sketchiness, it avoids any sense of perfect resolution.